Forgiveness
by LeGirlGamerHere
Summary: 20 years have passed, and Melanie's (Joel's other daughter) still finding it hard to forgive Joel; up until Ellie appears into their lives. Join them as they learn how to cope with forgiveness, love, nostalgia, hate, and jealousy in a world that they once, and still do call home. Rated T for language (and some romance in later chapters, NOT between OC and Joel)
1. Dad's Birthday

Hello, everybody! This is my first ever, ever, EVER fan fiction, so sorry if the story is really shitty at first. I've been meaning to do this ever since The Last of Us was first released, I just didn't have the time to do it.

**WritersWayofLife** will forever be my inspiration (I am a HUGE fan of **One More of Us**, have a look at it if you want!)

I do own my OC (Melanie Miller Ross). I don't own The Last of Us; Naughty Dog owns the game, its characters, its plot, etc. This is for entertainment purposes only! I'm not really good at writing, but I'm hoping to improve as this story progresses, but for the time being.. ENJOY! :)

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"Ugh! For God's sake, Sarah! Why are you so friggin' heavy?!" I yell as my back begins to fail me from her undeniably heavy weight.

"Do YOU wanna try having a broken leg?" she asks in return, causing me to turn and glare at her.

As my pace increases from jog to sprint while carrying Sarah on my back, I ask myself, "How the hell did we get into this damn mess..?"

**Thursday, September 26, 2013**:

I watch her sleep on my lap. The side profile of her blonde bob is facing me now. Her gray eyes, now shut, are telling me to do the same; but I can't. I'm exhausted from school, all the stupid drama and homework just makes me sleepier, yet I still can't. One more day of school then, it's finally the weekend.

I carefully push a lock of her hair out of her face, and tuck it behind her ear. God blessed me with an adorable sister; I guess I could consider myself lucky. Just when I'm about to doze off, I hear the front door close. Dad's voice echoes in the hall as he talks to Uncle Tommy, something about a contractor.

"Let's talk about this in the morning, okay?" I hear him say. SHIT. He's gonna see that I'm awake. I lay my head back on the couch and shut my eyes immediately, a little too tightly. He turns on the light, waking Sarah up.

Yawning, she lifts herself up and off of my lap, putting pretty much all of her weight on the edge of my right thigh. I immediately open my eyes and yelp in pain. "Hey", she says to Dad after yawning. "I was just about to wake you up", says a giggling Sarah, turning to me.

Tiredly, I give her a look, but only for half a second. Her innocence wins me over every time.

"Scoot", Dad says to both of us. I slide to the end of the couch, mainly because there is an armrest there. "Fun day at work, huh?" she asks Dad. Sighing, Dad asks without looking at us, "What are you two still doing up? It's late." This alerts Sarah, causing her eyes to become wide with anxiety. "Oh, crud. What time is it?" she asks worriedly, looking up at the clock above us.

**11:50 P.M.** Not THAT late. Well, yeah it's late, but not as late as I thought it is. In frustration, Dad replies, "It's way past your bedtime".

"BUT, it's still today." I reply almost instantly. He gives me a hard look, and immediately wish I hadn't said anything.

Leaning back on to the couch with a hand to his forehead, he says to us tiredly, "Girls, please not right now. I do not have the energy for this." I look away in embarrassment, while Sarah hops of the couch and crawls to the compartment to my left. "Here" she says to Dad as she hands him a square white box, sitting back down on the couch with us. Turning to both of us, he asks "What's this?"

I reply, "Your birthday." Dad's birthday is just a five day gap from mine, so yes, I did feel a slight twinge of jealousy for Dad, since Sarah didn't even bother to get **ME** a present like this, but I'm not that selfish. "You kept complaining about your broken watch. So we figured, you know?" says Sarah finishing off my sentence. "You like it?" I add quickly.

Dad's reaction is worrying, he looks upset. "Listen, girls, it's nice but, I-I think it's stuck, it's not-" Panicking, Sarah yelps and grabs Dad's hand wearing the watch, then tosses it back. "Oh, ha ha."

Smiling, Dad asks us, "Where'd you two get the money for this?" I WISH I said "JEEZ, Dad! We're not THAT cheap!" to him, but I don't. Rolling my eyes, I answer, "Drugs. We sell hardcore drugs."

Sarah giggles just before laying her head on my lap again. "Good", Dad replies as he turns on the TV, "you can start helping out with the mortgage then." We turn to him in mock disbelief and then yell at him, "Yeah, you wish!" We watch soccer for the rest of the night.

I don't know what time it is when Dad sends us upstairs. I just remember a feeling of floating in the air, with Dad's strong arms gripping my body as I slept.

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Okay then, folks! That's it for today! If you like it, please let me know, like/favorite, do as you wish! I'll see you all later, have a good day! :D


	2. Snacks & Screaming Neighbors

Good morning/afternoon/evening, lovely people! Thank you so much for the views and I hope you're all enjoying this fan fic! Y'all are the best! Seeing how many views I got had me fangirling all noon :33 I'm actually surprised at how many views this fic got just after posting one chapter.. :P

I do own my **OC **(**Melanie Miller Ross**). I don't own **The Last of Us**; **Naughty Dog** owns the game, its characters, its plot, etc. Like I said before, this is for entertainment purposes only! (PS, I definitely don't own **Finding Nemo** either! Property of **Disney**, jus' sayin'..

BTW, I've got a couple more tests and such coming up, so once I'm done with those, I'll be sure to keep updating this as often as I can! Anyways, let's get this fic going then! And, as always, lovely readers.. ENJOY! :)

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"Shit! Why the hell are these things still chasing us?!" I yelled to Dad. My legs are starting to burn and I can't breathe. I want to cry, I want to break down. I can't take it anymore; this pain is just too much for me to bear.

"Just keep running! Whatever you do, don't turn back and don't stop!" he yelled in reply.

I suddenly remember Finding Nemo, Dory's singing pops into my head. "Just keep running, just keep running"..

**Friday, September 27, 2013:**

**1:46 AM** I slowly lift my eyelids open to find myself on my bed, in my room. Why the hell am I awake at this time of night? I have school tomorrow! Shit! I roll out of bed, and slip into my trousers, pushing my blankets off and on to the foot of my bed. I sit on my bedside and suddenly realize this: I'm hungry. Like, REALLY hungry. What for? I don't even know yet.

I sprint down the stairs for a "midnight-snack" even though it's more than an hour past midnight. I run past Sarah's and Dad's bedrooms as well, ignoring the TV in Dad's room, despite the fact that it's almost at max volume.

I slowly watch over to the fridge in our kitchen, where I find another copy of the last morning's **Texas Herald**. I passed by the other copy in the bathroom when I sprinted down the stairs.

I walk over to it and carefully pick up the paper with both my hands; and I then read the headline: "**ADMITTANCE SPIKES AT AREA HOSPITALS! 300% INCREASE DUE TO MYSTERIOUS INFECTION**" I take a deep breath and mutter to myself "Let's just hope we don't end up the same as the rest of them."

I put the paper down and walk back over to the fridge. I open the freezer compartment and search for what I was hungry for: ice cream. I push my warm hands into the freezer, pushing aside its cold contents to look for it, and I finally find I'm looking for. ROCKY ROAD.

I start grinning my head off the moment my fingers come in contact with the icy cold carton. I pull out the carton and shut the freezer door carefully, not to disturb Sarah's peaceful sleep. She reminds me of puppy, a cute, small puppy, but a caring and selfless puppy.

I slide the carton across the counter and search for a spoon to eat the ice cream from the carton. Not exactly sure how I started developing this habit, and Dad's always scolding me for it; but I still do it anyways.

As soon as I find one, I start to eat. One, two, three spoons are in my mouth. "I might as well just read the paper", I say to myself. "**FDA EXAMINES LIST OF CONTAMINATED CROPS**", NOPE. Ain't reading' that, way too boring for me.

My eyes widen in alarm as my eyes flicker down to the lower headline, "**POLICE: CRAZED WOMAN KILLS HUSBAND, 3 OTHERS**". Oh, God. What the hell? I continue reading and the story is just getting more gruesome as I continue.

I pop another spoonful into my mouth. That's when I hear Andy Cooper's screams. I almost choke on the ice cream sliding down my throat, and I realize I'm gripping the spoon so hard, my knuckles are turning white, in the dark.

"What the hell's going on..?", I ask myself as I toss my spoon across the counter. I throw the ice cream into the freezer, and search for a weapon. What should I use, though?

I'm definitely not bringing a kitchen knife; I'm not exactly fond of violence, or stabbing for that matter. But, then again, desperate times call for desperate measures.

My eyes flicker around the room, constantly asking myself, "What should I use? Should I even be doing this?"

Finally, my eyes rest upon my baseball bat. I slowly walk over to it and pick it up. I shove my feet into my sneakers, and stare at the door for a few seconds.

Breathe. In, out. In, out. "It's fine. Nothing to worry about." Am I being honest with myself? "Just open the door, close it, and check on Andy. You'll be fine." Nope. It's for my own comfort, and it's not helping me in any way possible.

I can already start to feel a lump rising in my throat. My heart's racing; I'm not even outside yet. My grip on the bat is beginning to falter because of the amount of sweat on my palms. I quickly wipe them on my trousers.

I finally force myself to turn the door handle at put one foot outside. "Good. Now the other. Repeat until you get to Andy's." And so I do. My legs are shaking; the only light guiding me is the moonlight, a glowing white light against my skin.

I finally reach the Coopers', a block away from our house. I notice their sliding door is half-open, and that there is blood smeared on the side. Now, I can really feel my heart rising up to my throat as I slowly walk over to it. I allow my fingers to slide over it, and immediately wish I hadn't. The blood is still wet.

It's pitch black inside, not even the moonlight is enough for me to see the insides of the Coopers' house.

"H-hello?" I whisper. No response." **BREATHE**, you'll suffocate otherwise." My brain is speaking to me. I clear my throat and say slightly louder, "Hello? An-anyone there? Andy..?" Still nothing, up until I hear a moan coming from inside the house.

I have to go in and find out what's going on. Once I force my foot into the house, I tell myself quietly, "Ah, shit. Here we go."

I slip into the house as quietly as I can, but that doesn't stop the choked scream that comes out of my mouth when I see what's left of Andy from across the room. I immediately cover my mouth with my left hand to stop myself from screaming any more than I have to.

Even worse, he's not the only one. I see his older brother Kyle has ended up the same way, except Andy's clothes aren't tattered like Kyle's. Other than that, they're bodies are both covered with blood, both skin and shirt.

They're both slouching as they stand. I hear wheezing sounds coming from them both, and I notice them twitching like dogs with arthritis. How they're still alive, only God knows.

I want to puke now, but they'll hear me, or even worse, smell me.

Just when I'm about to back out of the house, my baseball bat clunks against the sliding door's glass. Immediately, they both turn towards me and lunge at me at full speed. They're already half a meter in front of me.

Panicked, I freeze in place, gripping the bat as hard as I can, praying to God to help me out in the position I'm in.

Finally, I raise the bat above my head and yell, "SHIT!"

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Dayum.. This one took a LOT of time to write.. Sorry I took so long to publish this. A rate and review would be highly appreciated (you don't have to if you don't want to), and as always, have an awesome day! :D


	3. The World We Once Knew

My bootiful readers.. :D Thanks so much for the favs/follows and views! Got me motivated to post this chapter as soon as I could!

I won't lie, fan fics take quite some time to write, so sorry if I don't update quickly enough for you :/

This'll be a long-ish chapter BTW! (Prepare for the feels train next chapter T_T)

But, anyways! Let's go! Like I always say.. ENJOY! :)

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Raising the bat above my head, I yell, "SHIT!"

I put all my strength into my arms, swinging my bat at the Kyle, back-forth; left-right; up-down. I'm hitting him wherever I can, whenever I can.

The sound of wood impacting on flesh continues.

Again, and again, and again.

Kyle's blood is going everywhere, splashing over my face, shirt, arms, and legs. I finally hear a crack and an unpleasant squelching sound come from the impact of the bat on Kyle's head as he staggers over and falls.

Andy's randomly smacking my right side, his hits may be random, but he still hits hard, despite not having any control over his body. His nails are leaving minor cuts on my arms and face, peeling the skin off. I have to keep shoving him to get him to stop.

I don't want to kill him. I didn't know Kyle all that well, but I do know Andy, I did at least. Class clown, biggest flirt in class, lazy ass, one of my best friends. I can still see his stupid grinning face as I hit him; but then I remember: It's not him anymore. He's dead. I finally decide to start hitting him.

Each blow is telling me to stop, but if I do, he'll kill me before I can. It's either him, or me. I choose me.

Please die. Please die. Please die. I don't want to hit you anymore. I'm choking on my sobs, and I sound like a blubbering baby.

Finally, he does. He twitches for a few more seconds and doesn't stir anymore.

My bat is coated now with the Coopers' blood. I'm just glad it's not mine. I killed them both in cold blood and didn't even hesitate.

I release my bat and slump on the floor, feeling the hard impact on my ass, facing their lifeless bodies.

Their limp bodies are in odd angles in a pool of dark crimson. I swallow hard and slowly try to take in this grim scenario.

I crawl over to Andy's body, and kneel over him. His hazel eyes are still open, but unblinking. His long ashen blond hair is still falling over his face.

I carefully push it aside. I lean into his ear and whisper, "Bye, Andy. Sorry it had to be you." I kiss his cheek as a goodbye after shutting his eyes. Hopefully, he's at peace.

I hop over Kyle's body to prevent myself from tripping. After picking up my baseball bat, I climb out of the house and feel the humidity of summer hit my face.

I check my trouser pockets for anything that can show me what time it is, nothing.

I wipe the back of my neck and realize that it is slick with sweat. I am covered in grime from face down to my arms. "What a great start to the day", I mutter to myself.

Judging by how the moon and stars are still in the sky, I'm guessing it's still pretty late. Hopefully, if I run home and get there on time, things will be back to normal again.

**01:53 AM**

I run all the way home.

When I reach home, the first thing I do is run to the bathroom to wash my face and arms to rid myself of the grime left from my previous contact with the Coopers. I'm splashing water everywhere, but I don't care, I don't care.

Their blood is turning the water into an unpleasant combination of deep crimson with brown, now a dark brown-pink waterfall flowing down the drain. I take a hand towel, dampen it and start to wipe the chunks of flesh off that were left over from my previous encounter. "I can't let Sarah find out about this…" I tell myself.

I slowly walk into my room, breathing heavily. I peel off my shirt and change into a clean one before putting on my hoodie; my surroundings suddenly feel cold, like I've suddenly gotten the fever. Something in my gut is telling me that this is real, and that things won't get better from here. I hope I'm wrong. I really do. I toss the bat at the far end of my room.

I lie my head down on my pillow and try to sleep. This is worse than before. All I can see now is Andy's bloody face, a twisted grin plastered on along with it, this picture is repeatedly popping up each time I close my eyes. I finally decide to just cry myself to sleep, and I do, except the sleep part.

By the time I'm done, my face is wet, snotty; red. I feel like one of those girls who just broke up with their boyfriends, crying their souls out. Andy was one of my closest friends, knowing him since we were kids makes it even worse. I never felt anything in particular towards him, but he was almost like a brother to me for the most part of my life. I might as well try to get some shut-eye. Hopefully, his distorted face doesn't show up again.

**2:13 AM**

My eyes immediately shoot open. My heart is racing, I'm coated with sweat and so is my bed. It's probably because of the hoodie I'm wearing, maybe I wet the bed. I don't know. I hope it's not Theory 2.

I can hear the house phone in Sarah's room start ringing. I hop off my bed to check on her, to find her pick up the phone and answer.

"Sarah, what're you-?" I ask. Ignoring me, she says into the phone, "Hello? Uncle Tommy, what is it?" I can hear the line get cut off. "Uncle Tommy? Hello?" ending the call. She turns to the door to face me, "What was that all about?"

I swallow hard and answer, "I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling about it…"

She walks over to me, but something in the corner of her eye catches her attention. "Ah, dang it! I forgot to give this to him!" holding the birthday card we made for Dad the day before.

"Shit. Pass it over; I'll keep it with me for now and we'll give it to him later."

Nodding tiredly, she hands it to me. "We could just come back for it, you know…" she says to me.

I bite my lip, and an awkward silence is in the air for a minute or two. Finally, I reply, "You know, I have a feeling that we won't be coming back."

A frown is glued to her face when she asks, "What's that supposed to mean, Melanie?"

I take the card and walk out of her room to go to mine, not realizing that she followed me out. I scurry over to my backpack and tip it upside down, emptying its contents, searching for anything I can use. Nothing other than my phone.

I frantically start searching around my room for last year's birthday present that Dad got for me. I'm emptying the drawers, throwing clothes out wherever I can. I feel like a robber now, looking for valuables in a rich person's home, but this is my room, my property. I can do as I please to my own room. "Mel, what the heck are you doing?"

My hand finally closes in on it. I sigh with relief as I take it out. My precious 9mm handgun. A gasp of horror escapes Sarah's lips. "Why on earth would you want to take that with you?" asks a frightened and confused Sarah.

Ignoring her, I start looking around for the 2 boxes of rounds that Uncle Tommy bought for me to go with the gun. Sarah, exasperated at my insistence of ignorance starts to whisper in a frustrated tone, "Mel, come on! Please, just answer me! Why would you want to take your gun out now?! We all agreed that it would only be used at the shooting range, not in a normal scenario like this!"

I finally turn to her after loading the gun. "Why are you doing this?" she asks in her normal timid voice.

"You haven't seen what I've seen" I say quietly to her. I don't want to tell her. I don't even know how she'll react, so what's the point in that?

I pick up my pocket knife from my bedside table and stuff it in my pocket along with my phone. I take my beanie off from my jacket rack and pull it over my head. All the items I find in my room each have a use of some sort, which is a bright side that I am willing to sugarcoat. I toss my two water bottles into my backpack, along with the cloth I used to clean my bat. I take the only photo album I have in my room and throw that in as well.

I silently walk out of the room after double-knotting my sneakers, Sarah following after me.

Leaning against the wall beside the bathroom door and I ask her, "Need anything? If you do, make it quick." Ignoring me, she walks in to the other copy of the **Texas Herald. **She silently starts reading, and finally puts it down.

I realize that she's still in her pajamas. "Don't you want to change out of those?" I ask.

She turns to me, "Why would I? Dad should be at home, right?" I sigh in exasperation and walk with her down the hall to Dad's room. "Dad?" she calls out.

A glowing light is emitted from underneath the door. Mumbled voices can be heard from behind. I push it open for Sarah, and let her walk in first, but I don't. My right hand is dangling on my side as my left is pushing the door open.

"You in here?" she asks as she walks in. A news report is playing on Dad's TV, with Amy Jamison television ready voice playing.

"The patients with this newly developed infection have shown increased signs of aggression and-" her voice is cut off by a man in the background, asking her to leave the area. Ignoring him, she continues, "There seems to me some kind of commotion is going on from behind me-".

"That's nearby…" I say to Sarah, both our eyes glued to the TV screen from across the room. The same man cuts in again, "Lady, you need to get the fuck out of here now! There's a gas leak!" Just when she's about to continue, a deafening explosion stops the broadcast, causing the screen to turn static.

Another explosion happens, but this one isn't coming from the TV. We both turn to the window, and see the cloud of smoke rising up. "Oh, fuck. Wasn't that..?!" I say.

Sarah's eyes look panicked, like a deer that's about to be hunted. She makes for the door and I let my hand fall to my side, letting the door close on its own. "DAD?!" she yells, loud enough to be heard from the basement. "What the heck is goin' on?" she asks me.

I can hear the blaring of police sirens outside, and the dogs are all losing their shit. They're barking with all their might, but at what? When we get downstairs, we see that some of the lights have been switched on, not leaving us in total darkness. "He might be in his study" I tell her, trying to comfort her. I know it won't help, but it's worth a shot.

We walk across the living room to make for his study, but as we pass by the kitchen, Sarah walks over to the kitchen counter, causing me to stop walking. She picks up what caught her attention earlier, "There's his phone" I say.

I can hear a strained tone in her voice as she's reading what's on the phone. "14 calls. Where the HELL are you? Call me. On my way…what?" she says before putting the phone down. I end up with a look almost as confused as hers, but not quite since I'm already quite aware of what's going on.

I wait for her for several seconds and continue to tip toe to the Dad's study, allowing Sarah to follow behind me. When we get to the doors, we push one apart each; as soon as we take one step in, a grime covered Dad runs in through the sliding door. He looks scared, but of what? He immediately slides the sliding door shut. "There you are!" Sarah exclaims to Dad.

"Mel. Sarah" he says turning to us. He turns to his study and starts frantically loading his revolver. "Are you okay?" he asks in a panicked voice.

"Yeah" I reply as calmly as I can. I think my voice is shaking. "Has anyone come in here?" he asks in the same panicked voice as before.

"No. Who would come in here?" asks a confused Sarah.

"Don't go near the doors. Just… just hang back there" Dad says to her in reply.

"Dad, you're kind of freaking us out. What's going on?" Sarah asks in return.

"It's the Coopers." OH FUCK. The mention of their family name is bringing me flashbacks of what happened the previous hour.

"S-something ain't right with 'em. I-I think they're sick." Dad continues. Sick, with the "turns-people-crazy" infection I'm guessing.

An oblivious Sarah asks again, "What kind of sick?"

She didn't even really have to ask. One slam in the glass door answered the question. Sarah screams; a startled scream. "Jesus!" Dad yells.

I'm just frozen in place, I can't think. I can't breathe. Kyle and Andy's dad, Jimmy Cooper, had that same look about him. He's making the same noises as Andy and Kyle, strangled roars in the back of their throats. The amount of blood covering him is no surprise, but how aggressive he is, is frightening, even more than the other two. "Honey, c'mere. C'mere. Baby, get back." Dad tells Sarah as they join me from where I'm standing. Again, again, and again. Jimmy's just slamming the glass repeatedly against his shoulder, smudging the sliding door's glass with his own blood.

"Jimmy… Jimmy, just stay back!" says Dad in a loud and threatening voice as Jimmy finally breaks through the glass, landing on the ground then getting up and lunging towards us. Jimmy's strangled roars are loud enough to wake the whole damn neighborhood. Dad's voice wakes me up inside.

"Sarah, it's okay. It's okay." I whisper her to her as calmly as I reach for her hand to clutch in mine.

"Jimmy, I'm warning you! Don't-!" Just as Jimmy reaches for Dad's face, he shoots Jimmy's head with his revolver, causing a loud bang to echo through the house. Sarah's free hand clutches the back of Dad's shirt as he shoots him, while I stay as stiff as a statue, my unblinking eyes remaining on Jimmy Cooper bludgeoned face.

"Oh my God. Y-you shot him. I-I saw him this mornin" says a traumatized Sarah.

Dad grabs my right shoulder and Sarah's left, saying to us, "Sarah. Mel. Both of you listen to me. There is something bad going on, and we have to got to get outta here. Do you understand me?" I look up at him and nod slowly, Sarah does the same. "Y-yeah." we respond as calmly as we possibly can. I can hear Sarah holding back her tears; how much more selfless and calm can anyone get?

"Alright, c'mon, you two" he says to us after taking hold of Sarah's arm as we make our way for the front door of our house.

After throwing the front door open, we find Uncle Tommy and his truck waiting for us outside. "Where the hell you been? You have any idea what's goin' on out there?" he asks Dad.

"I got some notion" he nods in reply as he opens the door for us to climb in the backseat. "Holy shit. You got blood all over you!" he exclaims in a surprised tone. "It ain't mine; let's just get out of here." Dad says to him as I close the door.

When they both climb in, Uncle Tommy turns to us and asks, "Hey, Melanie. Sarah. How you two holdin' up now?"

"I'm fine." I say quietly as I look out the window.

"Yeah, can we hear what's on the radio?" Sarah asks.

"Sure thing" Uncle Tommy replied. Always playing the nice one in our family, that's what I like so much about him. His positive attitude always puts a smile on my face, but not today.

All we can hear is static when he turns the radio on. "No cellphone" I have one, "No radio. Yeah, we're doin' great. Minute ago the newsman wouldn't shut up."

I zone out as I stare out the window. As the rest of them continue talking, all I can think about is how quickly our world is falling apart. We'd be willing to lose our humanity to save ourselves. Destruction is spreading across like a wildfire, death following shortly after.

"Did they say how many are dead?" Sarah asks when I decide to pay attention to what they're saying. "Dunno. Could be hundreds, people say they found this one family mangled inside their house-"

"Tommy." Dad says to him to cut him short. He doesn't want us hearing about gory situations like that; but I know better.

"Right, sorry."

We drive past Louis' burning farm as we continue down the road. "Hey" I say pointing out to a family at a bus stop a few blocks from Jeremy's house. Uncle Tommy slows the car down, "What're you doin', man? Keep driving!" Dad tells Uncle Tommy.

"They got kids, Joel!"

"So do we!" Dad says in response.

"But we have room!" Sarah says, trying to reason with Dad.

"Hey" says the father of the family, waving at us to stop the car. "Hey, hey wait! Stop!" he yells as we drive right past them.

"Are you kidding me?! We had room!" I yell at Dad, with an angry and questioning look on my face. "You ain't seen what I've seen" Dad says to us. "Someone else'll come along." I have seen what you've seen, old man. You just don't know about it.

When we reach the highway, we immediately stop dead in our tracks. We see an unlimited number of an unpleasant site: CARS. Snaking all the way back to where we are, all of them are honking, flashing their lights at each other. "Oh shit. Everyone and their mother had the same damn idea." Uncle Tommy says.

We notice an army helicopter fly right past us. The driver in one of the cars grows impatient and climbs right out of his car to yell at the helicopter pilot, not that he can hear him. "Hey, what the fuck, man?! Let's go!" My heart stops when I see what happens to him. This highway is about a mile away from the nearest hospital; the victims of the infection must have escaped after going insane.

We see two ex-hospital patients come from behind the iron railings, sprinting towards the man, giving off their loud and choked roars. One of them lands on the man and starts to eat him alive, all I can hear from him are his screams of terror, most likely, his last. We see the other climb into his car and eat his passenger, blood splashing everywhere.

"Holy shit!" Uncle Tommy yells.

"One of them's coming this way!" I yell back at him.

"Drive, drive! Tommy! Get us out of here!" Dad responses. The one on the man runs towards us and bumps the hood of the truck, giving us a mindless but menacing roar. Sarah gives out a panicked scream while I grip my seatbelt as Uncle Tommy goes on full reverse, causing a loud screeching to escape from the truck's tires.

"The fuck just happened?! Did you see that?!" Uncle Tommy yells to Dad. All I can hear now is the both of them yelling at each other, I can't even make out any of what they're saying anymore. When I finally do hear proper English words, it's not coming from them.

It's Sarah, "What are they running from?" I immediately peel my eyes away from the two adults and look out the car's front window to find us in a narrow street, people running towards our direction but not towards us. They attempt to run past us, but Uncle Tommy's now slow driving is keeping them from moving anywhere else.

"Tommy, step on it!" Dad yells. "I can't fuckin' drive through 'em, Joel!" pointing at the people in front of us obstructing our path.

"Then back up, then!"

"They're behind me too!"

Their exasperation is starting affect us now, and soon enough, I start yelling as well. "Damn it! Just friggin' drive!"

"Hold on!" Uncle Tommy says to us as he starts to drive faster now. The people are still in our way, but it's not as bad as just now.

"Run, man! Run!" I hear people saying to others, maybe us, I wouldn't know. They're everywhere; they remind me of ants running away from a magnifying glass.

When we finally manage to push through, I turn to Sarah trying to reassure her, but I don't. Her eyes wide and alert, she points behind me to my window and yells to us, "WATCH OUT!"

When I do turn, all I feel is the hard impact of the other car on my door, causing me to lurch to me right and land on Sarah. A loud cracking sound comes from my window, the glass shatters, flying everywhere and anywhere around me. The truck flies to the right, knocking me and everyone in it, out for the count. Everything's gone black.

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Took me over a week to write this, so hopefully you all appreciate it! Rate & review (if you want!); have an awesome day peeps :P (I'm uploading next chapter ASAP! Stay tuned :D)


	4. Sarah

People! Hullo again! Thanks so much for the patience! Here is Chapter 4, as promised! :)

Beware! The feels train is here TT_TT

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**Sometime later…**

"Melanie? Mel?" I wake up with small hands shaking my shoulder. I'm lying on my right side and I can feel debris under my weight. Grunting, I prop my elbows on the ground, careful not to cut myself on the glass underneath me.

"Ah, shit!" I say after grabbing onto Dad's car seat, which is leaning on its side like the rest of the car and its contents. Sharp pains hurt everything when I move, or try to at least. I have to blink several times to make sense of the scenario I am in.

When I finally manage to sit up, I find the truck's left back door above me, shielding me from the dangers of the outside; but not for long. "Oh, Sarah. Thank God." I say to her with relief. Looking around, I now see the destruction that the impact has caused.

The truck's roof is to my right, a dent pushed in from the top. I'm sitting on the right back door of the truck, the glass underneath threatening to give me deep cuts in my skin. The car seats we were sitting on are now to my right, being used by Sarah as a weight support. I choose this time to analyze the condition I am currently in.

I find my backpack lying next to where my head was before we were knocked out. I carefully pick up my bag and drag it over to where I am. I can see Dad's limp body lying on his right arm on the front right door window, hopefully he isn't dead. The cuts on him are telling me otherwise. He has them all over his face, his arms. Is he dead? I don't know.

"Daddy?" Sarah finally notices Dad's limp body in front of us. "Hey. Hey!" she says to him after shaking him awake.

He's awake. Thank God. I am just about to climb over to him to help him to help him out, but he says to Sarah, "Get back, baby. Get back."

I finally look at the outside from the car's front window. Now I wish I hadn't. Sparks are flying everywhere from one of the street lamps nearby. People are still running wherever they can. I can see an Infected patient devouring a passenger in the car that crashed into us. His blood is painting the car's windows, but he's still alive. I gasp in horror and try not to empty the contents of my stomach in the car.

Holding on to the truck's roof, Dad kicks at the front window, attempting to escape. To window's is pushed out, shattering the glass as it lands on the ground. Dad climbs out and stands up, getting ready to offer me a hand. Just when I reach for him, an Infected man pushes Dad against the truck. "Dad!" I yell to him. He's pushing the man just as hard as the man is pushing him. His strangled roars and screams are pushing me back into the car in fear.

Just when he's about to take a chunk of flesh out of Dad, Uncle Tommy hits the man's head with a brick, causing his blood to spray the road and him to land on the ground. Uncle Tommy gives me a reassuring look as I witness the following event. "Dad?" Sarah calls out.

"I'm here, baby. I'm here. Mel, gimme your hand. I'll be right with you Sarah, just hold on." I reach out for Dad's hand, careful not to put too much of my weight onto the glass. I crouch to help Dad pull Sarah out of the truck. When we manage to get her out, she starts limping. "What is it?" I ask her, holding her steady.

"My leg hurts" she tells us, with a pained expression on her face. "How bad?" Dad asks.

"Pretty bad."

Uncle Tommy backing up towards us, tilts his head halfway and tells us shaking his head, "We're gonna need to run."

Dad, worrying about what will happen to us, hands his revolver over to Uncle Tommy. "You keep us safe!" he tells him.

Turning to me, he asks, "Do you still have the 9mm I got you last year?" I immediately take it out of my backpack and show it to him. "OK then honey, I'm gonna need you to use it, OK?" I nod slowly and swallow hard.

"You've already practiced plenty of times, so I'm pretty sure you can aim right." I look at the 9mm and back at Dad. "Hey, it's going to be OK, honey. Now like I said to your Uncle Tommy just now, you keep us safe, alright?" he says to me quickly. I grip it firmly in my hand and turn off the safety trigger.

Dad looks around and back at Sarah. Grunting, he lifts her up and tells her, "Come on, baby. Now hold on tight!"

"Okay" she replies.

We start running down the street, trying not to crash into other running people. I'm not even looking where I'm going, I'm just aimlessly and mindlessly running, doing as I'm told. "Daddy, I'm scared" Sarah whimpers.

"Mel- Watch out!" Uncle Tommy tells me, snapping me back to reality. The person running in front of me gets jumped by an Infected, and topples on the ground. The Infected man roars at him, and then begins his human meal.

"Just keep your eyes closed, honey." I hear Dad saying to Sarah, attempting to reassure her.

Uncle Tommy tells me to follow him and I do. We start running ahead of Sarah and Dad, guns in hand, ready to shoot. "Oh my- Oh my God." I hear Sarah whimpering. We and the people in front of us cower as we witness a car crash into the petrol station to our left, the ignited flame spreading like a virus.

We immediately turn right towards the alternate escape route. "Keep running!" Uncle Tommy tells us. Dad's heavy footsteps thud on the ground as Sarah clings onto his neck. Several buildings are caught on fire, and so are the people nearby.

"Those people are on fire." Sarah says to us in horror. The buildings' flames, now engulfing the people inside, are now also advancing towards the people around it. I slow down and run beside them, telling Sarah, "Don't look, Sarah."

"Just keep looking at me, baby." Dad tells her, before I run back towards where Uncle Tommy is.

We run past an abandoned fire truck and other burning buildings. People are running, running, and running. Cars keep on colliding with each other, drivers confused upon which direction to go. "Over there!" Uncle Tommy points for us.

"We're gonna get out of this, girls. I promise." I turn to Dad as he reassures me, not that I believe him. The Infected are everywhere, each of them roaring and chasing after their next victim. People are shoving us, everyone running from an approaching threat.

We keep running straight just before another fire is started in front of the Armadillo Theatre, obstructing our path once again. The people affected by the crash are feasted upon by the Infected, there are too many for me to even count, not that I wanted to.

"Ah, shit! Where do we go?!" I ask with a panicked voice.

"There's too many of them! This way! Through the alley!" says Uncle Tommy to us, pointing towards an alley close by.

I keep following Uncle Tommy as he pushes the alley door. "Go!" he tells us. We run past a trashcan in the alley just before we come across an Infected man. We've just interrupted his meal. He immediately stops chewing on his victim's guts and lunges towards Dad. He pushes against the man's collarbone as he starts to flail around from behind Dad's free arm. Sarah starts to whimper and clings harder onto Dad's neck. I kick at the man's knee, knocking him off balance. Just when I am about to shoot him, Uncle Tommy comes to the rescue and shoots the man's head. "Jesus!" Dad exclaims, adjusting Sarah's position in his arms.

"We're almost there, baby. We're almost there." Dad is continuously reassuring Sarah like all this will stop. Each time he does, I resist the urge to tell him to stop. We run past several more garbage canisters as we run towards a pub. A fence nearby is being pushed against by several Infected, hoping to get to us.

"Shit! They're getting through the fence!" I yell to Dad and Uncle Tommy.

"Keep goin'! Find us a way outta here!" Dad yells to uncle Tommy as he runs ahead of us.

"Come on, Mel! Keep up!" he tells me. "C'mon! Inside!" as he pushes open the pub door. Infected are climbing over a nearby wall, coming towards us. Snarling, and desperate for their latest meal.

I sprint inside so that I don't end up becoming one of them or into their dinner. As Dad staggers inside, the Infected that managed to keep up start to push against the door, forcing me and Uncle Tommy to push against the door, not that any of my weight is helping.

"Get to the highway!" he tells us.

"What?" Dad says in disbelief.

"Go! You've got the kids! I can outrun 'em!" he replies.

"Uncle Tommy!" Sarah and I yell to him in unison.

"I will meet you there!" Dad says to him finally.

"Hurry! Get out of here! Go! Go!" he tells us.

"Mel, pass me your gun. You're gonna carry Sarah now, okay? You run faster than me, so I want you to carry her." I obey him immediately and him over my gun, carefully but quickly placing her on my back, piggyback position.

"Ready?" Dad asks me. Nodding, I kick open the door, causing Sarah to scream.

"Sorry, Sarah. Just hold on, okay?" I tell her.

"Daddy, we can't leave him!" Sarah says to dad tearfully.

"He's gonna be fine, honey." Dad says to her as we start to run. My heart sinks after I see the amount of Infected outside.

"Get off road! We're going off road, okay, Mel?" I grip Sarah's legs harder and jump off the meter high ledge separating the pub's parking lot and the outside.

"He's gonna be fine, honey." Dad tells Sarah. We run several more meters into the outside. That's when I hear snarls and growls getting louder by the second. I ignore them at first but eventually I start to get paranoid of one of them taking a bite out of me.

"They're getting' closer" Sarah says to me, barely audible enough to be counted as a whisper. Their footsteps are getting louder, they're getting closer. I can see their shadows from the bright beacon provided by the military.

Sarah's weight is starting to drag me down. I may be able to run fast, but not with a weight on my back. "Ugh! For God's sake, Sarah! Why are you so friggin' heavy?!" I yell as my back begins to fail me from her undeniably heavy weight.

"Do YOU wanna try having a broken leg?" she asks in return, causing me to turn and glare at her. I start to sprint because I don't want them to keep up, but they are; I'm gonna have to keep running to the highway if I'm gonna get out of here.

I turn my head briefly to see how many there are, three of them, but they all are running in almost the same pace as me and Dad. "Shit! Why the hell are these things still chasing us?!" I yell to Dad. My legs are starting to burn and I can't breathe. I want to cry, I want to break down. I can't take it anymore; this pain is just too much for me to bear.

"Just keep running! Whatever you do, don't turn back and don't stop!" he yells in reply.

We see a hill in front of us with a fallen ambulance van at the foot of it. Just when we're about to run up, we see another Infected crawl right towards us. "Oh, fuck! Dad!" I yell to him, panicking.

"Move to the right! Keep running, Melanie! Keep running!" I can feel their breath on the back of my neck when we finish running up the hill.

By the time we reach the top, I start to stagger and am about to fall. When I manage to get back up, I immediately turn away expecting the inevitable. Several shots are fired from an assault rifle, but not at us. I hear Sarah give a small scream just before I see the Infected's limp bodies slide down the hill. Sighing with relief, I hand Sarah over to Dad. "It's okay, baby. We're safe. We're safe." Dad tells her. He discreetly stuffs the gun in my bag.

Turning towards the soldier who shot the Infected, Dad hollers to him, "Hey! We need help! Please. It's my daughter; I think her leg's broken."

The soldier is motioning for us to stay where we are and yells to us, "Stop right there!"

Backing away, Dad says in a vulnerable tone to him, "Look… We're not sick."

"Got a few civilians in the outer perimeter. Please advise." I see the soldier say into his communicator.

"Daddy, what about Uncle Tommy?" Sarah asks Dad.

"Sarah, your leg-" I start, attempting to reason with her.

"We're gonna get you to safety and then go back for him, okay?" Dad says.

The soldier continues to speak through the communicator. "Sir, there are kids here. But- Yes, sir."

"Oh shit. Dad, is he actually going to-?" I ask Dad as I start to hyperventilate. Judging by the look on Dad's face, he's guessed the same thing.

"Listen, buddy. We've just been through hell. Okay. We just need-" Dad stops midway, when I turn to the soldier. He's aiming his rifle right at us.

"No, no, no." I say repeatedly shaking my head. I feel like our backs are against the wall and that there isn't anything we can do about it. It's because there isn't.

"Oh, shit." Dad mutters finally. The soldier starts firing and as I back away, I end up rolling down the hill, landing hard on my back, causing me to cough out all the breath I have left in my lungs. I hear Sarah and Dad scream as they land on the hard, dusty ground.

The footsteps of the soldier are approaching, closer and closer towards us. I lift my head up and see the soldier aiming at Dad, ready to shoot. "Please, don't." Dad whimpers to him, one hand holding his side which he landed on and shaking his head. I am about to shut my eyes, preparing for the worst when I see blood spraying out of the soldier's head. I turn to see Uncle Tommy approaching us, revolver in his hands with both arms extended.

I am just about to thank him until he lowers his gun and utters the words, "Oh no." His gaze is focused on Sarah. Dad and I immediately turn to her, Dad desperately crawls towards her. I force myself to move every limb that I possibly can and drag myself as quickly as I can to where Sarah is.

Her hands are covering her abdomen, where the bullet holes are. Her blood loss will eventually kill her, seeing how much of it has spread across her shirt. I've never seen her like this, in such a vulnerable position. "Move your hands, baby" says Dad to her. Her hands are shaking as they move, desperately trying to find someone to hold on to. Her gaze meets mine as she shakily attempts to hold on to my arms; her blood coated hands find my cheek, sweeping them with a moist deep crimson.

I pull her small hands off of my face and bring them to my lap, which is to her left. Her bleats of pain are forcing tears of regret to pour out of my eyes like a waterfall. Dad is applying pressure on the bullet wound to stop the blood flowing any more than it already is. Her blood is continuously spreading, over Dad's hands, her shirt.

"I know this hurts, baby. I know, I know. You're gonna be okay, baby. Stay with me."

He's choking back his tears, I'm bawling my eyes out and I can't think straight any more. Sarah's blood coated hands are being held in mine, so tightly that the only color that can be seen is red from the blood covering her hands.

"Alright, honey. I'm gonna pick you up. I know, baby. I know it hurts."

Sarah continues her bleating as Dad attempts to lift her up. She's crying just as much as I am; maybe even more, besides I'm not the one with bullets inside me. "Just hold on, Sarah. Just hold on." I tell her, my tears making my words hard to understand. There was no point in even telling her. She's as good as dead.

She goes stiff as a solitary tear slides down her cheek. I freeze and release her hands, carefully placing them back on her abdomen again. Uncle Tommy walks over to us slowly, attempting to comfort Dad. "Sarah..! Baby..!"

Dad's shaking and rocking back and forth as he holds Sarah's cold, lifeless body. "Don't do this to me, baby. Don't do this to me, baby girl. Come on…" Dad's lip starts to quiver. "No, no…" He lifts her up and holds her close to his chest, her eyes remain unblinking; her lips half open, not responding to Dad's pleas.

"Oh, no, no, no… Please." Dad's crying is making me break down, and I do.

I cover my face with one hand as I lie on my side, crying my eyes out until all my tears have dried up, but they haven't. I'm still crying. This isn't real, I tell myself. But it is. It is. This is real. Sarah's timid smiles have been erased, out of my memory. Her laugh whenever I'd pick her up and over my shoulder, despite her unbelievably heavy weight. Nothing happy comes to mind, and it might be a while until it does. My only sister, the light of my life, the source of my happiness, is gone. Dead to the world, dead to us.

"Oh, God… Please, please, don't do this." The tears keep coming and I don't think they ever plan on stopping. "Please, God…" Dad says finally, allowing his tears to finish the job. How long will we continue to mourn? Who knows? Only God does.

God help us all.

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There we go, folks! Chapter 4, the final chapter of Section 1, the intro of The Last of Us! Thank you all so very much for sticking with me this far, despite how much time I take to write these! I'll try to make each chapter at least 3,000 words from now on! But, for now… Toodle pip and cheerio, have a lovely day all :)


	5. Job Offers From Rebels

Dearest readers, thank you all for the patience, and thank you all for the love and support you guys have given me for writing this fan fic :D

I haven't been bothered to write this, but this is the last time: The Last of Us is property of Naughty Dog! I only own the OC (and a few other characters!)

Let's get going with Chapter 5, then! :) Enjoy!

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**3 years later…**

The storm clouds of a nightmare appear before us, a pouring downfall waiting to happen. I stick my nose up in the air, awaiting the scent of moist earth and bathed woods. My hair and face are getting wet as I walk, briskly enough to keep up with Dad and Uncle Tommy.

"Where the hell are we even going?" I ask Dad. The only thing I can see is the back of his head and his wet jacket. No response. He's ignoring me. Treating me like a fucking invisible child again, just because Sarah's gone. He's been like this ever since.

I still miss her. Every time I think about her, I want to break down. Her blond hair and gray eyes are a few of the only things I remember about her. My memory of her has become a blur. Each time I forget, I have to take out my photo album.

Pictures can't remind you of everything, only of moments, how a person looks. They can't remind you of what their voice sounds like, how they laugh either. That's the case for Sarah, I only remember how she looks because of these pictures. Without them, she's nothing but a blurred and missing memory. I refuse to show them to Dad; not after how he's treated me. He doesn't even know I have this album in the first place.

"We're looking for a place to set up shop. Get some shut-eye. The usual, you know." Uncle Tommy replies on Dad's behalf. Dad's hair is still dark like mine, kept short for convenience, but just a few gray hairs that are out of place can be seen on the top of his head. He's getting old. His beard is starting to become scraggly because of years of not shaving. Uncle Tommy's hair, which is brown, is long and scruffy, after 3 years of no haircuts. We stop walking after we find an abandoned cabin in the woods.

After we unload our stuff inside the cabin, Dad says to us, avoiding eye contact with me, "I'm gonna go take a piss. Stay on guard, see if there's anything we can use." He walks out of the cabin, closing the door briskly. I immediately take out my photo album and randomly browse through it. My gaze falls on Bowling Night with the Coopers. I see myself at last, I look so happy spending time with Andy and Sarah. They're both gone now though, and so am I. I look nothing like I used to. I don't keep my hair loose anymore; I'm always keeping it in a ponytail. In days when I'm not bothered, I'll just tie it in a bun and stuff it in my beanie.

"You know, you're gonna have to show him at some point." Startled, I close the album after hearing the voice that interrupted my thoughts. I look to my right shoulder to find Uncle Tommy kneeling down beside me, looking at the album. I stuff the album in my backpack, underneath the several cans of food we found the other day.

Zipping up my bag, I tell him, "Nope. He's acting like a dick to me, why should I show him this when he's treating me as shitty as this? If he'd stop treating me like I'm fucking invisible, maybe I'd show it to him. I don't plan on showing him this, unless he starts to treat me like his daughter again; which he isn't."

Sighing, Uncle Tommy asks me as he opens a can of peaches, "What about doing something for a cause? Don't you want that?" Frowning, I look at him and ask, "Why the sudden topic change?" "I got an offer a while back." "An offer…" I repeat to him. "From the Fireflies." I raise a questioning eyebrow at him then ask, "As in… the anti-government rebels?" He raises both his eyebrows at me, making me glare at him.

"So, what? What's so important about them? More importantly why and HOW did you even get an offer from them in the first place?" I ask him as I open a can of pineapples from my bag. "Well", he starts as he chews on his peaches, "remember when we were ambushed by that group of Runners at that old gas station in Atlanta?" I nod to him as I toss the can lid aside. "Do you also remember how I went missing for a good few minutes while we split up to look for supplies after taking those Runners out?"

**2-3 weeks ago…**

"Alright. Tommy, start looking around for supplies." Dad says to him. I ask, "Should I go, too?" OF COURSE. No fucking reply from my fucking ignorant Dad. "Let's split up. I'll take this way, Mel. You take the other, alright?" I nod, sadly. I was hoping Dad would reply, but he didn't. Uncle Tommy did. "Alright, we'll meet up back here when we're done, okay?" Uncle Tommy says to me. "I'll give you a holler." I tell him quietly.

I start by going through the items on the shelves in the food aisle. Frustrated, I mutter to myself, "Damn it. Everything's been picked clean." Just at the corner of my eye, I see a packet of chips underneath the shelf. Full of hope, I snatch it and hug it tightly near my chest, almost popping the packet. It's been so long since I last had something salty; all I've been having these past 3 years were canned fruits. Sighing with relief, I stuff it into my backpack and look around for anything else that could be of use.

Failing to find anything else, I walk back to where Uncle Tommy told us to meet up at. I climb onto one of the pay counters and sit beside a cashier machine, allowing my legs to dangle off the edge. Three, four, five minutes pass. Still no sign of Uncle Tommy. There's almost nothing useful in here, why would he take so long just to get a few bits of food scraps? Dad stands by one of the cold beverage fridges and leans against the door. Swinging my legs back and forth, I look up at the ceiling.

It's been a while since I've seen light coming from electricity. The only kinds of light I've been seeing lately are the sun's and moon's lights, both glowing against my skin. The sun's; radiant and warm, and the moon's; cooling and bright.

I hop off the counter and slide my backpack off my shoulder and drop it onto the floor. I quickly pull my baseball bat off of one of the custom hooks I made on my backpack. Slowly, I walk over to the other end of the gas station's convenience store, gripping my bat with both hands as hard I can, ready to face anything. "Uncle Tommy?" I call out loudly. No answer. "UNCLE TOMMY!" I yell from halfway across. I hear shuffling sounds coming from behind the shelf. "Okay, then. You asked for it." I say to behind the **shelf, raising the bat above my head.**

**TOMMY'S POV**

**Around 5 minutes ago…**

Skimming through the shelves thoroughly isn't doing me any good. All the shelves have been picked clean, and so have the stuff underneath them. "Shit. Nothing useful here."

As I turn towards the last shelf at the dim end of the store, gloved hands cover my mouth and my body is dragged down to the ground. I randomly start slapping my kidnapper's head, which is covered by a cotton head wrap. He shifts a little and his grip on me stronger than ever. I give up on my slapping and elbow is his unprotected rib cage, causing his grip on my face to falter and a faint grunt of pain to escape is covered lips. His bandana is wrapped around his face, masking his identity. I head-butt him using the back of my head, the impact attacking his face.

I pull his body over my shoulder and watch him flip over, landing on his back. I pin him down on the floor, my arm on his throat pressing it hard. He starts to make choked, strangled sounds. His breaths quickening because of the lack of air in his lungs. Just when I'm about to finish him off, I feel hard, cold metal being pressed to the side of my head. Turning off the safety trigger, I hear the person whisper to me, "Let. Him. Go. NOW." Squinting, I turn my head slightly and ask, "And if I don't?" In the corner of my eye, I see my perpetrator. A dark skinned woman with her curly jet black hair tied into a bun at the back of her head. "I'm pretty sure you'll know what happens."

I notice the Firefly armband she and my attacker have on their jackets. I'm being threatened by their leader. I've seen her WANTED posters with her face on it. The government has a bounty on her head, and I'm kneeling right here, right in front of her, threatening to get shot by her. I take this opportunity to ask, "Now, what's a Firefly like you doing here at this side of the country, Marlene?"

"Sightseeing." BULLSHIT. "You've got balls" she tells me. "You actually were going to finish him off now, weren't you?" she asks me. "Well, HE threatened to kill ME; I was just returning the favor." I reply quietly. Chuckling quietly, she asks me, "How about you put your remaining strength into something worthwhile?"

"Like…?"

"If you did something for a cause, would you be willing to devote yourself to it? My cause plans on providing one thing for the people of the United States and one thing only: hope."

What the hell is she asking me? Is she asking me to JOIN her little anti-government militia? Pausing, I ask her, "Are you asking me to join you, Marlene?"

Pulling the gun away, I turn my head towards her and see her shrug her shoulders. "You've got the skill set, you seem dedicated. Our country deserves better than this. The people here are fighting for scraps, rations are lower than ever. The people here need something to hold on to; my answer for them is hope. I figured you wanted to have a part in that. Some change is refreshing, after all."

I think about it for a few seconds. We're already on the run from Infected, is she now asking me to be on the run from the government, too? What about Melanie? Joel's still in that trance of his, he can take care of himself, but Mel?

"Hell, Marlene. I'm a family man. I've gotta take care of my niece since her own dad won't even be willing to do it. I will have a think about it, though. That about alright with you?"

She sure is taking her own sweet time with this. She ain't answering.

Approaching footsteps are getting louder, closer and closer. "Come on now, Marlene. Time's ticking away." Still no answer from the damn woman.

"Do we have a deal or not, damn it?!" I'm at the point of wanting to yell. It took every fibre in my body to keep me from screaming my head off.

"Okay! Fine then!" she snaps at me. "You'll find us at the nearest campsite, alright? It's just a few miles north from here."

"UNCLE TOMMY!" Mel's yelling at me now. She's probably worried. "Okay, then. You asked for it."

I immediately stand up, acting as normally and naturally as I can. "Oh! Hey, Mel! Uh, you find anything useful?" I can see her starting to relax. She was planning to hit me with the bat had I not stood up and shown myself. "Oh! Jeez, Uncle Tommy! You scared the shit out of me!" Turning to the shelf, I say, "Yeah. Nothing to worry about. Anyways, you find anything useful?"

Sheepishly, she tells me, "Well, yeah. I guess. I found this packet of chips and-" Chuckling, I tell her, "You can have it. Don't think I can stomach stuff like that anymore. Come on, let's get outta here." As I walk past her towards the exit, I notice a small smile form on her lips.

When I turn one last time, I see them slipping out of the window, into the dark.

**2-3 weeks later…**

"Well, I got confronted by a couple of them there." Uncle Tommy tells me.

"WHAT?!" I ask in utter horror and shock. "Are you okay?! Did they shoot you?!"

Grinning sheepishly, he says to me, "Relax. They can't do anything to your Uncle Tommy." I roll my eyes at him and say, "Damn it, Uncle Tommy. I'm not a fucking kid anymore." Sliding his empty can a few meters away from him, he says to me, "I know. All I'm saying is that we could do something for a cause. Together, you know. You're 17. I get that you don't want to spend your time with an old man of an uncle like me."

Snorting, I ask him, "Your point is..?"

"We could continue living like this, no purpose. Just surviving. Killing Infected whenever we'd need to. Or, we could be doing the same thing, but for a purpose. Plus, being on the run from the government. I mean, look at the state we're in. Is the government doing anything about it all?"

I briefly think about it for a minute or so. "But, Dad said we shouldn't get involved with them. I mean-"

Frustratedly, he puts his hand on my head. "Mel, look me in the eye and answer this. Is your dad even taking care of you right now in any way? Look at him, he's a wreck. Emotionally at least."

I stare at the wooden floorboards that I am sitting on. Should I? This is my chance. The shitty treatment that Dad's been giving me can be gotten rid of if I leave. But, if I do leave, Dad's gonna lose his only other daughter that's still alive. My heart aches at the thought of Sarah. My heart aches even more for a Dad that still loves me.

"Alright. When should we go?" I ask him quietly.

"Tomorrow. We're gonna tell him then, alright?"

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Dun, dun, DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN! Melanie's gonna be leaving Joel! Thanks for waiting patiently, everyone! Stay tuned for Chapter 6! Have an amazing day :D


	6. Estranged on the Road

Peopleeeeeee… Hi :P Arigatou for sticking with me till now :D

Just a quick response for anyone who wants to know how often I post each chapter, it is completely random whenever I post them, I don't have any specific time for them, I just post them as soon as I am done writing them.

Writers' Block has been my enemy these past few weeks, so I truly am sorry for keeping you all waiting for so long! ;_; School was also a problem, along with my feels going a bit too overboard T_T I hate school as much as the next person, but we all love our friends, don't we?

Quick shoutout to BlueSky509, thanks for the fantastic reviews, they really helped me improve my story (if you guys want to, please have a look at their profile! Fantastic writer here, folks!) :)

Chapter 6 is finally here! K… Enjoy! :D

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**That night…**

The cabin's wooden roof is facing me now. The cold, splintery floor is beneath me, uncomfortable and creaky. Inside the cabin is only a slight improvement compared to the outside. The only difference here is that there's a roof over our heads and that we have walls and a door to protect us from the outside; but not for as long as we think. Infected can still break in here, whether we like it or not. We just have to be prepared for that moment.

It's hard, sleeping on the floor like this. No pillows, no blankets or mattresses either. All I've got is the soft and empty-ish part of my bag as my pillow, and my hoodie as a makeshift blanket wrapped around my cold body. The cold air outside snuck its way in here from under the door and the cabin's dank windows. I tilt my head slightly to the right to observe the droplets of rain attacking the windows. Tilting my head to the left, I see Dad and Uncle Tommy lying beside each other on their sides, asleep; their chests expanding every time they would inhale.

Normally, I would try to ignore reality by putting on my headphones and playing music until I sleep; but I can't. I have my phone, I have a charger. Note that I said** A **charger, not my own. I took it from an abandoned electronics store not too long ago. **WHY** I took it, I don't even know. What I don't have is electricity. I haven't been able to tell the time for 3 years, unable to charge my phone in any way. I wonder if they have electricity where the Fireflies are.

It's dark out. No thunder, just a downpour that's been going at it since noon. Now I'm starting to wish I hadn't forgotten my watch in my room. I feel useless without it, since I was always the one telling the time to my friends. I wonder what time it is now. I can't tell.

Oh well. I might as well just get some sleep…

**The next morning…**

The light of morning is surprisingly blinding. Its brightness makes looking around an almost impossible task; especially when curtains are an unavailable option. Squinting at the window, I pull my jacket hood over my face, trying to take in as much of my sleepiness as I can.

Over the creaking floorboards, I hear footsteps approaching me. "Hey. Get up, Mel. Come on. It's morning." Uncle Tommy is shaking me awake. I pull my hood off slightly so I can see him. Using my free hand, I push his arm away, his grip unfaltering. "Ugh. Go away, Uncle Tommy. I wanna sleep." I grunt at him.

Scoffing, he whispers discreetly to me, "Fine, then. I'll just head over to the Fireflies on my own and leave you here with an asshole of a dad."

I immediately sit upright and stretch tirelessly. "YAWN. Umm, let's get going then, Uncle Tommy!" I tell him in a sarcastically enthusiastic tone in my voice. I just need to sarcastically swing my arm back and forth so that I can become the sarcastic swash-buckling pirate-Girl Scout I was born to be.

Rolling his eyes while refraining from smiling, he picks up my bag and tosses it at me, aiming at my face. I slide across the floor to avoid it, causing my shoes to skid across the floorboards. "Melanie, was that REALLY necessary? You could've just caught it, you know." Uncle Tommy says to me, giving me this sarcastic withering gaze.

Frowning at him, I pick up my backpack and throw it over my shoulders. I pull my hood off of my head, revealing the messy ponytail hiding underneath. I run my fingers through my hair, pushing my fringe out of my face.

In a world like this, it's almost impossible to have fun anymore, so yes; it is nice to joke around with Uncle Tommy once in a while. There may even be kids my age when we join the Fireflies. I don't know. I hope so, at least.

"Where's Dad?" I ask Uncle Tommy. "He's taking a piss."

"Oh. Again?" I ask him with what I think was a surprised look on my face.

"Hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go."

We walk over to the cabin door and open it. I scurry down the creaky wooden stairs and tilt my head back as soon as my feet come in contact with the rough terrain to inhale the scent of moist pine. I close my eyes to attempt having a flashback and succeed. I remember morning hikes with Dad and Sarah.

I'd always be too tired to continue walking while Sarah would be speed walking over the mountain like terrain. She'd always looked like a squirrel scurrying from one place to the other. Dad would always be way ahead of us both, navigating the route for our hikes. Then there was me, trudging my feet in the dirt, being forced to come along and always in a cranky mood from my lack of sleep on most days. This was a happy memory of mine, despite me not being the happy one in this particular one.

Upon opening my eyes, I hear familiar footsteps approaching from a row of pine trees in front of us. Dad's bristly beard is the first thing I see coming out from between the trees. For a second, his eyes come in contact with mine. They flicker away almost immediately. He puts his hand behind his head and says, "Come on. Uh, you guys ready?"

My heart skips a beat. Did he just say 'you guys' to us? Normally, he'd just acknowledge Uncle Tommy and totally ignore me, so THIS is an awkwardly pleasant surprise.

Looking over at Uncle Tommy, he raises an eyebrow at me then narrows his eyes at Dad. "Joel, you feeling alright?" he asks him.

"Tommy, I'm fine."

"You've treated her like shit all this time and only now you see her?"

Dad looks over at me with a mournful look on his face. "Mel, I haven't been treating you right these past 3 years. I was wrong to just ignore you after-"

He swallows hard and continues, "Aft-After Sarah died. I still had you. I didn't know what to do, something inside me snapped. I couldn't lose you too, so I decided to pretend you didn't exist. It was hard for me, constantly having to look away from you every time you wanted to speak to me, but I managed; with a consequence. You hate me now. I was wrong to treat you that way. I'm sorry, Melanie."

I ball up my hands into fists and swallow hard, slowly ingesting what Dad had just said to me. He's apologizing. He knew I was here. I knew it. Uncle Tommy thought it was a daze, but he was wrong. He knew I was here, he always did. He just chose to ignore me. He didn't want to lose me?

"You-you didn't want to lose me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I say to Dad a little too harshly.

"Melanie-" Uncle Tommy says to me. Is he seriously trying to defend Dad now? Wasn't **HE** the one that convinced me to leave because of Dad?

"I loved you too much to let you go. No father should have to deal with seeing his own child dying before he does. I've had to deal with that once already; I do not wanna go through that again. You understand me, honey?" Dad says to me in the vulnerable voice he used when we were confronted by the soldier who shot Sarah.

I give him a spiteful glare and start to yell at him, "Oh yeah? You could've just asked for some privacy or some time alone! All this time, Uncle Tommy kept on trying to convince me that you were just in a daze, but I knew better. I knew that you were ignoring me because you never cared about me! All you care about is Sarah, and she's dead! She's dead, okay?! This is reality! It will bite you in the ass every time you let your guard down and you need to wake up! I'm still here!"

I continue screaming at Dad. My voice is starting to get squeaky, my face is going red. I'm mindlessly pouring out all of the anger that I've managed to keep in all these ears. By the time I'm done, I'm breathing heavily and watching Dad's mournful expression turn into one of pain and hurt. A long sad silence fills the air, for about 3 minutes; when angry, it feels like eternity.

Looking towards the road, I say to both Dad and Uncle Tommy, "I'll go first. You'll catch up with me eventually."

After walking a few steps forward, I pass by Dad's tall figure, staring at his shoes, a forlorn look on his face.

"Why are you acting like this?"

I freeze at those words. "WH-WHAT did you just say?" I ask him hotly.

"You heard me. I'm treating you like my daughter again, the way I should, the way you want me to. Why are you acting like this? I've owned up. Now it's about time you did. Both of you."

He heard us talking about it last night. Go figure. Forgot that he's a fantastic listener, having him listen in on that conversation was the last thing I need, but right now it isn't.

I turn around and say "We're joining the Fireflies. Got a problem with it, old man?" I say it to him without even batting an eyelid.

"Yes, I have a problem with it!" he says to me raising his voice. "What did you think? That I'd just let you stroll on out of here right to them without even telling me?! How many times have I told you that we ain't getting' involved with their anti-government shenanigans?! Now, you're going against everything I've been telling you these past 3 years!"

"You NEVER said ANYTHING to me! You couldn't have cared less about me for the past 3 years! You ignored me for whole 3 years, and only now you say that you've been telling me, too?! You were telling Uncle Tommy, never me! I was a fucking ghost to you! Why should I listen to something that you've been telling Uncle Tommy?! Boy, you were a FANTASTIC actor! You didn't even bat an eyelid when you treated me invisible! You-"

I'm surprised no storm clouds have started to show up with us yelling like this, and it's only morning. The sun's rays are glaring at me, either commanding me to stop or commanding me to continue railing on Dad. Either way, I refuse to acknowledge Option 1.

"**BOTH** of you! That's enough!" Uncle Tommy yells to us both, startling me. Uncle Tommy NEVER yells. I didn't even know he could up until now. I've only heard him raise his voice, like on the day the Cordyceps hit, never a yell though, so it's definitely a first for me. Not so sure about Dad, though…

"Oh, only now you come to my rescue?" Dad asks Uncle Tommy accusingly.

"Hell no, I'm not, Joel!"

Dumbfounded, Dad gives him a frustrated and questioning look.

"Listen, I'm only here to emphasize on what Mel's been **TRYING **to say to you" he says giving me a hard look, and then continues, "Going on like this ain't getting us anywhere. We figured that if we joined the Fireflies, we might be getting' somewhere at least; a fresh start for all of us. We'll be in a group, larger numbers means more protection and safety, likeliness of being killed by Infected is a lot less. Besides, we just might be able to live normally again if we go to them. Marlene promised us hope, and we plan on gettin' it. Clear enough for you, big brother?"

After a moment's silence, Dad asks us smugly, "So how exactly do you plan on finding 'em? Their camp moves so often that it'd be pretty hard to spot. Besides, when did that crazy leader of theirs speak to you?"

Infuriated, I step closer to Dad and say in a low and angry voice, "She is NOT crazy."

"Joel, that ain't any of your business. What I'm saying is that Mel and I plan on going there right now, with or without you."

Shaking his head, Dad says to us, "Come on now, this is bullshit. We are survivors! We ain't just gonna join up with 'em just cuz their leader decided to play carrot-on-stick with you! It's suicide! The government will be on your tail and there ain't anybody comin' to help you out! The civilians are just gonna stand by and watch it all happen. They're all too scared of the government to back you up, anyways."

Exasperatedly, I throw both my hands up in the air and scream, "You don't decide what we want to do with our lives!"

I calm down after about a minute or so and say softly, "It's a free country, it was at least. Anyways, all I'm saying is that we'll fight for that hope. I don't care what it takes, I'm willing to fight for that hope and die trying rather than living with no reason anymore. Sorry, Dad. You're on your own on this one."

"You two are staying! And that's final!" Dad yells.

"Joel, this is pointless, okay?! We're going! And you ain't stoppin' us!" Uncle Tommy yells back.

"Yes, I AM." Dad says before lunging at Uncle Tommy. He dives and tackles Uncle Tommy, pinning him down on the ground, a loud thud mixed with the sound of gravel and dirt shifting underneath Uncle Tommy's weight. Dad starts punching hard at Uncle Tommy's ribs, each hit causing a gasp and a scream of pain to escape from his lips.

"NO! Leave him the fuck alone!" I yell at Dad. He continues to punch him, harder each time. He's ignoring me, AGAIN.

"Sigh, you asked for it." I drop my backpack onto the ground and slip my bat out from the hooks. I breathe heavily and walk slowly up to Dad. He won't stop.

"Gahh! Damn it, Joel! GAHH!" Uncle Tommy says between hits. It's obvious that he's having trouble breathing now.

"Dad, just fucking stop. Please." I say to him from his right side. He ain't even fucking listening.

Gripping my bat hard, I raise it, place it on my right shoulder and prepare to swing it hard, aiming at his side. Should I do it? He's my dad. This could scar him for life. No. He's already scarred me enough, why shouldn't I do the same?

I scream and whack his side with my bat, hard. He immediately stops and screams in pain, putting both hands on his side. I think I fractured one of his ribs, I'm not sure. Uncle Tommy shoves him off, allowing Dad to collapse onto the ground, rolling a foot or two away.

I kneel to Uncle Tommy and help him sit up. "Oh, shit. Are you okay?"

Glaring at me, he hisses at me, "Do I look fucking okay to you?" He starts coughing, no not coughing, hacking up blood.

I'm pissed. Not just at Dad and Uncle Tommy. I'm angry with myself for giving in to my anger and whacking Dad with the bat. I shouldn't have done that, now I wish I hadn't.

As I help Uncle Tommy stand up, his eyes are fixed on one thing: Dad's limp body. We slowly walk towards him, towering over his body when we reach him. He winces each time he attempts to sit up.

Uncle Tommy kneels down beside him and grips his jacket collar hard, pulling him up. "Now you listen to me, Joel. What you did there was unacceptable. If I wasn't your brother, I'd kill you right here and now. But I am, so you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna fucking leave you here. Don't even think about following us because I don't ever want to see your goddamn face again. You're on your own from now on. Are we clear?"

Dad doesn't respond. He passed out.

"Alright, come on now, Mel." Uncle Tommy says to me as he releases Dad's collar. He starts walking towards the road after getting up.

I stare at Dad's body in shame. I'm the reason he's like that now. I can't just leave him like that. Even though I hate him, I'm not inhumane enough to just leave him here for the Infected to feast on.

"Wait."

Uncle Tommy turns around with a confused look on his face. "What is it?"

"We can't just leave him here." I tell him. "I know he deserves it, but come on. We're not that inhumane, are we?"

After looking at Dad and back at me several times, sighing, he walks over to Dad's body and says to me, "Open up the cabin door while I lift him up inside."

Sighing with relief, I obey him.

After putting Dad in the cabin and shutting the door behind us, he looks over at me and asks, "You ready for this?"

"Yeah."

And so, we make our way to the Fireflies.

* * *

Gloom and doom will be taking a break from here since Mel will be meeting some 'interesting' characters next chapter!

Patience, my grasshoppers! Good writing takes time, and I don't want my work to seem rushed!

Allow me to fangirl for the next week or so as **Free! Eternal Summer** is being released tonight! My insides have already turned to jelly, and writing this has taken a lot of effort because of my summer laziness…

**DFTSA** (Don't Forget to Stay Awesome, in case you didn't know), people! Good luck with handling the wait! :D Byee…


	7. In-Camp Buddies

My readers CAN be patient after all! xD Hullo again, everybody!

We are finally here! They've finally reached The Fireflies!

I've been planning this one for WEEKS, before I even PUBLISHED this story, really..

I hope you guys like it, since this section has been the main focus of this fan fic, and believe me, I have been looking forward to writing this part for a LONG time ;)

As always… ENJOY! :D

* * *

**4 weeks later…**

"Damn it. Are we there yet?" I ask Uncle Tommy tiredly as we continue trudging along the road.

Coming back to Atlanta was one hell of a trip, especially after 'The Cabin Incident'. Uncle Tommy ended up with this huge blue-black bruise covering the left side of his rib area after the punches Dad provided him with. He had trouble walking for about a week or so. He's better now, compared to our first week on the road.

Seeing the number of abandoned cars makes me want to laugh, a dry and humorless laugh. Luckily there aren't any corpses, but if there were, they would've either been dragged out by Infected for their dinner or just lying lifelessly in a mass decaying flesh. Most ran out the moment the Cordyceps hit. No one wanted to get Infected, then again, who did?

My shoes brush against clumps of weeds growing from the cracks in the road. Soon, it'll be much more than just weeds. Nature's taking over, with or without us.

"We're almost there, Mel. Just another mile or two." Uncle Tommy says to me without turning around.

"You've been saying that for the past hour or so. At least I think it's been an hour." I say to him quietly.

Looking up at Uncle Tommy's back, I see that he's stopped walking. What the hell's he doing?

"Uh.. Uncle Tommy? Why'd you stop?" I ask him as I slowly walk over beside him; only then I see why. A sign that leads to a dirt path going off road is hanging from one of the street lamps in front of us.

"FIREFLIES CAMP. FOLLOW DIRT ROAD**." **Uncle Tommy reads aloud. Smirking, he looks over at me and says, "Well, whaddaya know? We found 'em."

Rolling my eyes, I pull my beanie off my head and stuff it into my pocket. I whip my hair several times to get it out of my face. I attempt to pull the excess hair into my ponytail and fail, soI tuck the loose strands behind my ear then turn to Uncle Tommy and ask, "Should we get going?"

Looking ahead of us, he replies, "Hell yeah. Let's do this."

Walking along the dirt road, I choose this time to observe my surroundings. Since walking along it, all sunlight has been blocked out because of the number of trees concealing the light. The oaks' leaves provide shade, granted, but it's hard to see anything else other than the trees' bases and the dirt road.

It's too quiet. We can't even hear any forest animals. No birds. No squirrels; I mean, I get that there'll be no squirrels since the Infected will need something to eat that's within reach, but come on. What happened to the rest of them? The only sounds that can be heard are our breathing and the sound of our shoes crunching against the baked earth. It must've been a while since others have shown up. This silence is so eerie, that it's ending shivers both up and down my spine, and only then I realize why.

I pale as soon as I see Uncle Tommy stretch his arm out to his side in front of me, ordering me to freeze. I hold my breath and pray for the worst not to happen.

"We know you're here. You're watchin' us. Trying to creep the fuck out of us. We've come here to join you, so show yourselves." Uncle Tommy says to the trees.

"Shit. Are we even in the right place? What if it's a trap or something?" I whisper to Uncle Tommy, questioningly.

Silence. Nothing but the sounds of our breathing, up until 'they' emerge from the shadows. About three armed men in yellow uniforms with the Firefly armband on their jackets emerge from behind the trees, either to greet us or kill us. Hopefully, it's Option 1. One of them looks to be in his mid-forties, the other two look slightly older than me.

One of the younger ones glances at me then turns to Uncle Tommy asking, "Hey, old man. This shrimp here with you?" Did that piece of shit just call me 'shrimp'? I'm not that small! I'm only a couple inches shorter than Uncle Tommy!

Before I can open my mouth to throw the best insult I can to the jackass that called me shrimp, the older one says to him still facing us, "Keep your shit to yourself, Mark. Cut them some slack, they just got here."

"Jeez. I was only kidding, Pops." Mark mutters under his breath. I can see his dirty blond hair sticking out from underneath his baseball cap.

Rolling his eyes, the older one speaks up. "Sorry about that. He's just been having trouble with taking a shit these past few days. Soo he's been taking it out on everyone he can." I frown at him and turn to Uncle Tommy for reassurance, giving him a dumbfounded look on my face.

I see that he is about to protest when the third Firefly gives him a look which immediately gets him to stop all together.

"Name's Gary", the older one says, pointing at the two younger ones, he continues, "You just met constipated Mark. This here's John."

John nods his head to both of us. His clean shave is the first thing I notice about him, so is the green army camo boonie hat at the top of his head.

Gary's features are the standard for a man from Atlanta; brown hair, brown eyes, brown beard. I'm just happy to know that he acknowledges my presence, but I don't like the way Uncle Tommy and him are looking at each other. Did something happen between the two of them before this?

Smirking, Gary asks Uncle Tommy, "So, you still capable of throwing me over your shoulder? I could attack you again if you want to demonstrate to the kids."

Snorting, I reply, "We aren't interested in fighting here. We came to join the Fireflies and here we are now. Are you taking us to Marlene or not?"

John looks over at Gary and whispers to him. Judging by Gary's laugh, I'm guessing we've already been accepted. "Alright, you two. Come on over. Let's head for camp."

Crossing my arms, I turn my head at an angle and give Uncle Tommy the best smirk that I can come up with. He snorts in reply as I remove one arm and offer him my fist. Fist bumps, one of my favorite features in a relationship, whether it's friend or family.

After walking for about 10-15 minutes, we approach a faded wooden sign just below the trees. The writing that used to be on it has been spray painted over with multiple Firefly logos. I can only make out the last two words: Summer Camp.

As we enter the Fireflies-only domain, Gary announces to us, "This is it. I'll call Marlene over. John and Mark, you can go now." Turning to Uncle Tommy and I, he says, "You two stay put. I'll be right back."

Looking around, I see multiple wooden cabins lying around. Judging by the activities that they've all chosen to proceed with, The Fireflies all together look to be about 100 or so people all together. Not bad for a three year old anti-government militia.

About five abandoned pick-up buses are scattered around, untouched since the Cordyceps hit. It was in the beginning of the school year when it happened, so I'm pretty sure the camp advisors and staff left just before school started.

I look up at the sky and notice how pretty it looks today. Streaks of rosy pink and baby blue are painted along the clouds, making an announcement for the coming fall. We've walked all the way to Atlanta but it was totally worth it. We made it. We found the Fireflies.

I look over to my left and see a hand-to-hand combat training session going on at a small patch of grass which I assume was an old fencing.. 'arena'. Abandoned fencing gear had been stuffed into a basket at old tree nearby.

The shouts of encouragement and jeering coming from the training area can be heard all the way from the Warden's office, the biggest cabin in camp, which is about a 100 meters away from where we are. I'm guessing Marlene and the other leaders stay there because I see Gary pop out from the main entrance with who I assumed was Marlene. I'd only seen a couple of WANTED posters to know what she looks like. Judging by the cringes of disgust on their faces, I'm guessing they can hear the cheering all the way from there. I purse my lips to keep from cracking up.

I look to my right and about 15 meters away; I see a small dug up pit with ash and burnt wood. An abandoned campfire. Large logs are surrounding it, which I'm guessing are supposed to be 'lounging chairs' for the night. I notice several teenagers approaching carrying about 4 logs each, for the campfire I suppose, laughing. Telling each other jokes. It all seems so.. surreal.

Farther away, I see a practice dummy leaning against a tree equipped with a fencing helmet. Rocks are being thrown at it by a few young men, target practice, I guess.

It's quite a comfort for me to see so many people relaxed in such a small settlement, the porches of the cabins tempt me for a moment as I see a couple reading. Candles in lanterns are being used to light up the camp now that it's getting dark. A nearby Firefly approaches Uncle Tommy and offers him a lantern; he accepts it.

Marlene finally approaches us, smiling warmly at us, she says, "Well, it's good to see you again-" she pauses. I think she wants to know Uncle Tommy's name.

An awkward silence hangs in the air. I turn my head to face Uncle Tommy. Is he in a daze or something? I elbow him gently and gesture to him using my head at Marlene. "Huh? Oh. Yeah, name's Tommy. This here's my niece, Melanie." I raise an eyebrow at him before I give Marlene a small wave and a half-smile.

Marlene starts informing us about curfew and camp regulations, but I'm not paying any attention to her. My gaze falls upon three teenagers sitting under a tree a meter or two from the campfire to my right; they're looking at me. Two boys and a girl about my age, maybe older. I tilt my head slightly to the left and pretend to look at something else. I look back after a few seconds and find them still staring at me. Pretty soon it's a stare-off. A silent stare-off in a bustling area full of loud adults and teens alike.

I notice the girl trying to hold in a smile. After a couple of minutes, the girl gives up, throwing her head back and bursting out laughing. One of the boys grin then joins her. Pretty soon, it becomes a laughter chain, spreading to the adults at the training area to the people by the camp's lake. I give the trio a small smile, not that they noticed, or so I thought. The boy who didn't join in the laughter chain is still looking at me, a huge grin on his face.

I raise both my eyebrows at him in surprise and give out a small laugh, more of an exhale-like chuckle, really, not that it mattered.

Let me just say this: He's actually pretty cute, which is a pleasant surprise in a time as depressing as this. I never planned on hooking up with anyone, or more importantly falling for anyone in the first place. I may sound guilty for saying this, but yes, I did find Andy pretty attractive, despite his being my best friend. This boy made me want to like someone all over again, to feel like a normal teenage girl again. His chocolate brown hair is the first thing I manage to pick up from him, short cropped and messy, with side bangs swept towards the right side of his head. His gray eyes are a gentle shade of gray, not the sort that's piercing and stares right into your soul, but the feature that stands out the most is his smile. It could light up the whole world for all I know, and we need that kind of light in a world like this. I do know that he's somehow lit up my heart, which sounds pretty cheesy coming from me. This guy is seriously attractive and I can't stop looking at him.

I snap back to reality when Marlene calls my name. "Melanie, since you and Tommy are pretty new to camp, I'm gonna assign you both with someone to accompany you around camp for about a couple of weeks. It's kind of like the student buddy system in high school. You don't mind who I choose, right?"

"Huh? Oh no, I don't mind." I reply. Truth is, I really want.. 'him' to be my camp buddy. How embarrassing. I don't even know his name. Hopefully, if I don't get him as a guide, I'll at least get one of the other two sitting with him.

Marlene briefly browses around camp before calling out "Haley! Get over here!"

The girl from the trio, Haley, looks at Marlene in surprise and walks over to us sheepishly. I see the other boy snickering, as if she's about to get in trouble or something.

"Alright then. Hope you don't mind me asking you to do this, but could you take Melanie over here around camp for the next couple of weeks? Do it as a favor for me, if you don't mind. Guide her around, introduce her to the others, the usual for the newbies. That okay, Haley?" Marlene asks, with a touch of hope in her voice. She must've seen me laughing at their direction to pick out Haley. I'm grateful.

Smiling brightly at me, Haley says, "It's cool, Marlene. It'd be nice to have her as a member of our group."

Sighing with relief, Marlene bids farewell to me as she strolls off with Uncle Tommy. I silently wave goodbye to him before walking towards the boys with Haley.

We stop midway as she turns towards, introducing herself. "Hey, there! Since the Queen already introduced me to you, I'm sure you already know my name, but for the sake of this conversation, name's Haley. Haley Grace." She's a ginger with shoulder length hair. Her hair, parted down the middle, covers her right blue eye, exposing her left. A bobby pin is the only thing keeping her hair in place on her left side.

Pointing back at the boys with her thumb, she continues, "I've been here for about a year now, and I've only got Tony and Logan there for company half the time. Yay for me. I totally know how to make friends." She ends her introduction with a sarcastic round of applause for herself. I like her! She's got the same lame and sarcastic humor that I've got! I somehow have this inkling that we'll end up becoming the closest of friends…

"Miller. Melanie Miller. Uh, I've been on the road with my Da- Uncle for the past three years. We haven't exactly done much all this time really, other than killing Infected and eating canned peaches." I tell Haley hesitantly. She cracks a huge grin and chuckles the moment I mention the canned peaches.

"Alrighty then, newbie. Should I call you Melanie, Mel, or Miller? Oh wait! How about MM? Yeah! It actually has quite a nice ring to it." Haley exclaims, placing a hand on her chin. Before I know it, I crack up. It's nice having someone with the same sense of humor as you, it's easily relatable.

After taking several deep breaths, I finally say, "I'm fine with Melanie or Mel. Don't call me Miller or MM. It's like calling you by a dog name instead of your own."

Putting her arm across my shoulder, she drags me over to their tree, putting my half a meter across from the boys. "Well, this is us. Let's get to the intros while I pick up our dinner, shall we?"

For once in a very long time, I finally feel like I belong.

* * *

Hooray! Mel's found friends AND she found a hottie at the Fireflies!

Hmm.. I WONDER what's gonna be going on between Tommy and Marlene.. *wink wink* ;D

My apologies for writing such a short-ish chapter! Procrastination is just.. :/

Bye then, people! See you next chapter! :D


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